U.S. Pushing Allies to Limit Focus on Ukraine in NATO Summit Communique

The United States is pressuring European allies to limit references to Ukraine in the final communique coming out of next week's NATO summit, according to several sources, a symbolic move that would signal a decline in support for Kyiv under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
Trump officials have pushed NATO allies to agree to limit mentions of Ukraine in the communique, the document issued at the conclusion of the annual conference that lays out the security alliance's priorities, according to multiple sources in Washington and Europe who are familiar with the negotiations.
The current draft of the summit's communique only includes one passing mention of Ukraine's defense capabilities and does not include a broad statement of support for Kyiv, a European official who viewed the draft told Newsweek.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Newsweek.
If the U.S. and other NATO members approve the draft, it would represent a departure from the strong statements of support for Ukraine issued at the end of the NATO summits held under former President Joe Biden after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
"People in Moscow, Beijing and in other major capitals of the world look carefully at how the United States and NATO characterize the international security situation," said Jeff Rathke, the president of the American-German Institute at Johns Hopkins University. "If NATO backs away from what it has previously committed to [at the summit], it's a signal of weakness that will very much be picked up on."
NATO members are expected to take some steps at the summit to show support for Ukraine. Secretary-General Mark Rutte has called on member states to increase their annual defense spending to deter Russia.
The alliance is expected to announce new spending targets of 5 percent at the summit, according to several sources. The figure would consist of 3.5 percent spending on core defense programs and 1.5 percent on military-related infrastructure and logistics. The plan represents a significant victory for Trump, who has long called on NATO members to step up their defense spending.
In recent months, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries have also pledged greater military aid to Ukraine, which has relied on Western support in its fight against Russia.
The aid has raised tensions between Europe and the U.S. since Trump took office, vowing to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine.
The administration brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, but the negotiations haven't resulted in any meaningful breakthroughs so far. Trump has expressed frustration with both countries for failing to reach a deal, but he has more frequently criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky than Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It remains unclear whether Trump will support a Senate bill to impose new sanctions on Moscow or a new military aid package for Ukraine once the current funding for Kyiv expires.
A final NATO summit communique that barely mentions Ukraine would be a marked contrast to the statements issued by the security alliance over the past several years. The alliance expressed unequivocal support for Ukraine at the conclusion of the annual summit last year, which was hosted by the Biden administration in Washington.
"Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shattered peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area and gravely undermined global security," the 2024 communique said.
NATO pledged in the document to "bolster our long-term support to Ukraine so it can prevail in its fight for freedom."
Ukrainian officials said they hoped NATO allies would prioritize Ukraine at the summit without angering Trump, who has spent the past week focused on the escalating war between Israel and Iran.
"They're thinking about how to diplomatically promote Ukraine at the NATO Summit and how to not antagonize Trump. It's a difficult challenge," Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of Ukraine's parliament, told Newsweek.
"In the final communique, I'd like to see something said about supporting Ukraine," he added.
Related Articles
"Hitler" Comments Deepen NATO Ally Turkey's Feud With IsraelRussia Accuses UK of Sabotage Plans With US in 'NATO Lake'US and NATO Ally Patrol Waters Near ChinaRussia Feigns at Peace. Congress Must Sanction Putin's War Machine | Opinion
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

8 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Trump says number of 'non-working holidays' in America 'must change' in Juneteenth social media post

Trump criticized the number of American holidays and claimed they cost billions in productivity. The post was made on Juneteenth, a federal holiday that Trump previously supported. The president said the number of non-working holidays "must change." In a social media post on Juneteenth, President Donald Trump said America has "too many" holidays where people don't work. "Too many non-working holidays in America," Trump wrote on Truth Social late Thursday. "It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed." The president said that the frequency of holidays "must change" and that workers didn't want them, either. "The workers don't want it either!" he continued. "Soon we'll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Juneteenth, held on June 19 every year, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and has long been celebrated by Black Americans. It became the 11th federal holiday in 2021 with a law signed by then-President Joe Biden. The bill passed with broad bipartisan support, receiving unanimous approval in the Senate and all but 14 votes in the House of Representatives. Most federal offices, such as the US Postal Service, are closed during Juneteenth. Markets like the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange don't trade during the holiday, either. But whether private companies and state governments remain open varies. Most major banks are closed for the holiday, but not all companies provide paid time off. The White House press office didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment regarding Trump's Truth Social post. Earlier on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing that the White House was open. When asked by a journalist about commemorating Juneteenth, she said she was "not tracking" Trump's signature on any proclamations for the holiday. "I know this is a federal holiday," she said. "I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We're working 24/7 right now." Trump himself supported making Juneteenth a federal holiday in the wake of widespread protests following the killing of George Floyd. "Make Juneteenth a National Holiday" was included among his "Promise to Black America over 4 years" policy proposals in his 2020 presidential campaign. During that campaign, Trump took credit for publicizing Juneteenth after moving one of his rallies from June 19 to June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. "I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous," Trump told The Wall Street Journal at the time. "It's actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it." In the same interview, Trump expressed surprise that his administration had commemorated Juneteenth every year. "Oh really? We put out a statement? The Trump White House put out a statement?" he said, according to the Journal. "OK, OK. Good." The White House did not publish a statement on its website commemorating Juneteenth this year. Read the original article on Business Insider

Politico

17 minutes ago

• Politico

Appeals court blocks Newsom's bid to reclaim control of National Guard from Trump

A federal appeals court has indefinitely blocked an effort by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to reclaim control of the National Guard troops President Donald Trump deployed to Los Angeles following unrest related to immigration enforcement. The three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that Trump appeared to have acted within his authority when he took control of 4,000 California National Guard troops under a law that has never been invoked without the consent of a state governor. Despite a debate over the level of violence accompanying the protests, the judges — two appointed by Trump and one by President Joe Biden — concluded that the law gives Trump enormous latitude to determine that the protests and related violence were interfering with execution of federal law. The judges said there are limits to the president's ability to call up the Guard, but there was enough evidence of civil unrest and danger to federal officials to justify Trump's actions. The ruling indefinitely sets aside a decision by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who last week issued a temporary restraining order against Trump's deployment of the Guard. Breyer is scheduled to hold another hearing in the case on Friday to consider Newsom's request for a longer-term block of both the Guard deployment and Trump's subsequent deployment of 700 Marines. The three judges on the panel were Trump appointees Mark Bennett and Eric Miller and Biden appointee Jennifer Sung. All three appeared skeptical of Newsom's position during oral arguments on Tuesday. Their Thursday night order was issued on a 'per curiam' basis, which means no judge was identified as the author of the opinion. Newsom, a Democrat, could ask a larger, 11-judge panel of the appeals court to take up the issue or seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court. Despite ultimately ruling for Trump, all three judges flatly rejected his administration's claim that the courts had no role in reviewing his call-up of the military to Los Angeles. Had Trump's call-up been 'obviously absurd or made in bad faith,' they said, courts would clearly have a role in assessing it. However, the appeals court said a line of legal precedents dating to the early 19th century indicated that the court's review of Trump's decision should be 'especially deferential' and that the president's orders should be upheld if they reflect 'a colorable assessment of the facts and law within a 'range of honest judgment.'' Newsom and his attorneys argued that Trump's involvement of the National Guard was likely to fuel more anger from protesters and inflame an already tense situation on the streets of L.A. But the appeals judges said those concerns were too remote to entitle the state to an order reversing Trump's action. 'California's concerns about escalation and interference with local law enforcement, at present, are too speculative. We do not know whether future protests will grow due to the deployment of the National Guard,' the court wrote. 'And we do not know what emergencies may occur in California while the National Guard is deployed.' There are signs that the protests and altercations with authorities have actually diminished in the days since the deployment. After imposing a curfew in downtown L.A last week, Mayor Karen Bass eased the curfew Monday and lifted it on Tuesday. The 9th Circuit judges also concluded that a technical aspect of the law — a requirement that Trump issue his order to call up the Guard 'through' Newsom — was not violated, even though the order was delivered to Newsom's subordinate. Even if it were a violation, they added, it wouldn't justify Breyer's ruling to rescind the order altogether. The appeals court panel had put a temporary hold on Breyer's ruling shortly after he issued it — an administrative measure to give the panel time to hear arguments. The decision Thursday grants the Trump administration's request to keep the hold in place as litigation proceeds. While it's not a final ruling on the legality of Trump's deployment order, by the time those issues are resolved by another panel of the appeals court, the Guard deployment could be over and the dispute could be moot.

UPI

19 minutes ago

• UPI

Eurogroup paves way for Bulgaria to adopt euro

June 19 (UPI) -- European finance ministers on Thursday recommended that Bulgaria become the 21st member of the Eurogroup, paving the way for the Eastern European nation to adopt the euro currency. The Eurogroup finance ministers agreed to Bulgaria's accession based on earlier positive assessments by the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, and the European Central Bank. "This is a well-deserved achievement for Bulgaria, Paschal Donohoe, president of the Eurogroup, said during a press conference following Thursday's Eurogroup meeting. "It is an acknowledgment of the commitment, the significant convergence process that has been undertaken and the enormous work by the Bulgarian authorities. It's also a really good signal for the strength of our monetary union." The recommendation proposes that Bulgaria introduce the euro as its currency on Jan. 1. The acceptance of the recommendation is the first step toward achieving that goal, with the EU Council now needing to adopt additional legal acts to enable Bulgaria to become a Eurogroup member. The recommendation is now set for adoption by all 27 EU finance ministers on Friday, followed by all EU leaders on June 27. Then, the European Council is expected adopt the three legal acts necessary to enable Bulgaria to introduce the euro by next month.